So I set up this blog to help shed some light on my adventures while in Cameroon with the Peace Corps. I’m not there yet, but I figured a nice welcome post was in order. I’ll be leaving June 2nd from JFK airport in NYC. We will fly to Brussels, and then, eventually, to Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon.

With only three weeks to go, the daunting task of packing my life away to travel halfway across the world is in full swing. Flashlight, check. Duct tape, check. On the Road, check.

It's Cameroon!

That’s probably good enough.

I’m getting really excited about leaving, but I think it’s impossible to not let some sort of apprehension take over sometimes. Luckily, the excitement far outweighs the apprehension/nervousness.

Once I arrive in Cameroon, I will live in Bafia (a town northwest of Yaounde) for three months, while I go through language, cultural, and technical training. Once all that is complete, I’ll be assigned a post somewhere in the country and that’s where I’ll exist for the next two years. I’ll be teaching computer literacy, in other words, basic computer skills and how to utilize computers in work/school etc.

So for the past month or two, I’ve been trying to figure out how to get my guitar to Cameroon. I don’t want to overload on things to carry (already, I have a large duffel bag, a large hiking backpack, and a small backpack). I was worried I would have to check it (and risk it being dropped repeatedly), but when I called American Airlines, Sally, the nice woman on the other end of the line, told me that I could stow it in an overhead compartment, so long as my guitar case will fit.

Score!

With all that settled, now I just need to pack…

Hoping to hike up Mongo ma Ndemi (or Mount Cameroon to all you foreigners).